With Amazon
removing buy buttons from the Big Six publishers, where does the author go to
have their manuscript published?
Amazon has
also removed numerous reviews because of the hint of purchased reviews, which authors
have admitted to so they could rank higher and sell more books.
With
thousands of books written per year, and Amazon flexing its muscle, are authors
suspected to publish according to whatever terms Amazon dictates, or find company
to create the book and let the author sell and market their book themselves?
Traditional
publishers currently ask authors about followers and request a marketing plan.
Authors have two options:
- Hire a publicist to market their book
- Learn how to publicize and market their book on their own
As authors, forced
into marketing mode, when are they going to find time to write their next book?
Will there be fewer books written? Will there be fewer people wanting to write
or even have a desire to be creative?
There are
new indie publishers springing up almost daily. What do these indie publishers
offer the author? Are they willing to help the author publicize, promote, and
market books for authors, doubtful at best?
What this
boils down to is the fact that authors are out in the cold even more than they
were before.
More than ever, authors had better learn
about contracts, publicity, promotion, social media, scheduling book tours, book
signings, media kits, designing a marketing plan, where to sell their books, or
save for hiring a professional to do it for them.
Hiring professionals for publicity
and promotion can be very expensive. Acquiring an agent is difficult and expensive;
an agent is not the end all that authors believe it is.
Robert Medak
Freelance
Writer/Blogger/Editor/Proofreader/Reviewer/Marketer